CHICAGO – Just when you thought the Doug Bruno Thrill-O-Rama Entertainment Machine couldn't possibly top its opening act---Friday night happens.
How about emerging sophomore Darrione Rogers taking aim and burying a half-court buzzer beater to top off a terrific all-around game?
How about Mayor Lori Lightfoot showing up five minutes before tipoff and lending a celebrity presence to a fun-loving Wintrust Arena crowd?
And then there's the seemingly effortless scoring of Smooth Sonya Morris who seamlessly stitched together a game-high 23 points in DePaul's 87-53 victory over rival Loyola.
Morris only missed once in the first half and wound up shooting 11-of-14 with her silky shooting touch. Deja Church had another superb outing with 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Rogers doubled up with 15 points and 11 rebounds to go with five assists and three steals. Lexi Held came through with 13 points, eight assists, four steals and wowed the crowd with a show-stopping behind-the-back pass to Rogers.
Freshman standout Aneesah Morrow finished with nine points, nine rebounds and four blocks after becoming the first DePaul player in 36 years to score 31 points in her NCAA debut during last Tuesday's 114-71 win over Texas Southern.
So far, the early reviews are smashing as the Blue Demons have won their first two games by an average of 38.5 points.
Leading 42-28 at halftime, coach Doug Bruno's team rode Morris' 11 points in six minutes to a 57-41 lead at the third quarter media timeout. The sizzling senior scored seven in a row heading into the timeout.
At that point, Morris had 21 points on 10-of-11 shooting. She wound up scoring 13 in a third quarter that concluded with her team in front 63-45.
The Blue Demons opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run with Held's three-pointer making it 71-47, prompting a Loyola timeout. A Morrow three-point play combined with three-point shots from Held and Rogers made it Lincoln Park 80, Rogers Park 49 at the fourth quarter media timeout.
With Mayor Lightfoot supporting both Chicago hometown universities, Her Honor watched DePaul take an early 9-6 lead with Rogers scoring twice. Loyola stayed close thanks to a pair of three-pointers.
All-BIG EAST guards Morris and Held ignited a 13-0 run in the latter stages of the first quarter and the home team went ahead 19-8. After another Morris basket, Rogers brought the house down with a half-court buzzer beater and a 24-12 lead after one quarter.
Loyola (1-1) could only make three of its first 14 shots in the face of a relentless man-to-man DePaul defense.
A pair of quick steals to open the second quarter by Morris and Church led to a pair of Church layups, lengthening the lead to 16. The Blue Demons already had a 20-9 advantage on the backboards and would finish with a 51-30 edge.
Steals by Held and Church sparked a 7-2 burst and a 35-17 lead after a Church three-point play. The Ramblers came within 40-28 until Held closed out the first half with a pair of free throws.
Held and Morris each had 10 points at the break while Church had nine and Rogers seven. DePaul made just one of its first eight attempts from three-point range.
The first real test of the season comes on Monday when Bruno & Co. travel to College Station, Texas to face No. 23/17 Texas A&M in a game televised on SEC Network+.
Postgame Notes
- Bruno's team is averaging 100.5 points per game in the early season.
- Rogers recorded the second double-double of her career with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
- Held tied a career high with eight assists and Rogers did likewise with five assists.
- After getting outrebounded by Loyola 33-21 last year, DePaul crashed the boards Friday night and came away with a 51-30 advantage.
- Rebounding was a problem for the Blue Demons last season. So far in 2021-22, they have outrebounded their opponents by 26.
- DePaul has beaten its first two opponents by an average of 38.5 points.
- After finishing eighth in the nation in forcing turnovers last season and harassing Texas Southern into 25 turnovers on Tuesday, DePaul turned the Ramblers over 21 times.
- Mayor Lori Lightfoot arrived at Wintrust Arena five minutes before the tipoff between two Chicago teams and was warmly greeted by DePaul Athletic Director DeWayne Peevy.
- New coach Tony Stubblefield and the Blue Demon men's basketball team came out in force Friday night cheering on the women's team.
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November 13, 2021 at 12:13PM
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DePaul Glides Past Loyola 87-53 Behind Smooth Sonya Morris - DePaul University Athletics - DePaul Blue Demons
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